130
C COA
CONFIDENTIAL
Fii FCO 151800Z JAN 79
TO IMEDIATE GOVERNOR HONG KONG
TELEGRAM NUMBER 48 OF 15 JANUARY.
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 243/1
RECEIVED IN 129ZY NO. 51 17 JAN1979
DXSX INDEX
No
PA
INFO FRIORITY BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR AND UKHIS GENEVA.
1.
HY IMMEDIATELY PRECEEDING TELEGRAM:
129
ADMISSION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES TO THE UK.
FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF PROPOSED HOME OFFICE PRESS NOTICE EXPECTED TO BE ISSUED ON 17 OR 16 JANUARY.
DRITAIN TO ADMIT 1,500 INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES.
RY
ation
en
CLE
A FURTHER 1,500 VIETNAMESE FORMER SOAT REFUGEES FROM ALONG THOSE
AT PRESENT IN HONG KONG, MALAYSIA AND THAILAND WHO ARE AWAITING RESETTLEMENT, ARE TO BE ADMITTED TO BRITAIN OVER THE NEXT 12 TO 15
ONTHS, THE HOME SECRETARY, THE RT HOM MERLYN REES MP ANNOUNCED. IN A WRITTEN ANSWER TODAY (JANUARY
1979).
THIS DECISION IS IN RESPONSE TO URGENT APPEALS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG, AND THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR PEFUGEES TO RELIEVE THE INCREASING REFUGEE PROBLEM IN THE FAR EAST. OF THE 1,500 REFUGEES, 1,000 WILL DE DRAVN FROM HONG KONG AND THE REMAINDER IN E EQUAL PROPORTIONS FROM THOSE IN A SIMILAR SITUATION IN MALAYSIA AND THAILAND. AT THE END OF LAST NOVENDER THERE WERE SOME 137,000 REFUGEES FROM INDO-CHINA IN CAMPS IN THAILAND, 40,000 IN HALAYSIA AND SOME 4,000 IN HONG KONG. THE NUMBERS DEPARTING FOR RESETTLEMENT HAVE NOT KEPT PACE WITH THE NUMBER ARRIVING IN THOSE TERRITORIES.
Gend
AS EXPLAINED BY THE HOME SECRETARY IN REPLY TO A WRITTEN QUESTION FROM PR. PETER FOTTOMLEY "P ON ✪ DECEMBER 1978 AND BY LORD HARRIS IN A REPLY TO LORD ELTON ON 2 AUGUST 1978, AT PRESENT VIETNAMESE REFUGEES (IN COMMON WITH OTHER REFUCECS FROM INDO-CHINA) ARE ACCEPTED FOR SETTLEMENT IN THE UK UNDER TWO HEADINGS EITHER DECAUSE THEY HAVE SOME CONNECTION WITH THIS COUNTRY, OR PECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN RESCUED AT SEA CY A SHIP RECISTERED AT A PORT IN THE UK AND THEY CANNOT BE ACCEPTED ELSEWHERE. (THE RECENT ARRIVAL OF REFUGEES PICKED UP BY HV (UOTE WELL PARY UNSUOTE CAPE WITHIN THE LATTER CATEGORY).
CONFIDENTIAL
/FROM 1975
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